By Liz Holland

SALISBURY – Wicomico County is proceeding with a plan to create a health center for county employees in partnership with the Board of Education that will save money and offer more health care options.

The school system has already entered into a 7-year contact with Everside Health and is willing to let the county sign on to offer the same benefits to its workers, Pam Oland, the county’s finance director, told County Council members during a work session on Tuesday.

“This product very much excites me,” Oland said.

Everside, which recently merged with Marathon Health and now operates under that name, plans to open a health center on June 1 in a former medical facility at 569 S. Salisbury Blvd. under its contract with the schools. The facility has the capacity for the county to join, too.

Once the county signs on, employees and their dependents who are covered under county health insurance would be able to visit the health center. Benefits to the employees who opt to use the facility are appointments within 24 hours, with no copays versus copays with their primary care physician or urgent care centers, as well as low- to no-cost prescription refills.

The center also would offer full lab services, said Mark Schubert, vice president of sales at Everside. Hours are staggered to include early morning and evening times to accommodate work schedules.

The center would only be open for county and school system employees who are covered under the group health insurance policy. “You can’t just walk in,” Schbert said.

The health center would save money for employees and the county.

“Based on information from Everside, the estimated annual cost to the county would be approximately $400,000,” Oland said in a memo to council members. “This cost would be offset by lower claims costs to the county through our health insurance provider. It is estimated in the first full year of the facility we would save over $500,000 in claims costs with Blue Cross Blue Shield with only a 38 percent participation rate.”

The Board of Education did extensive references checks related to Everside, Oland said. Additionally, Queen Anne's County has opened a facility for its employees last summer which has had “glowing reviews.”

Worcester County also is in discussions about opening a health center there.

Everside has 680 locations in 41 states across the country. County employees with county health insurance benefits could potentially use other facilities in the state or country if they are traveling, she said.

Once the county signs on, employees would have access to the health center July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.